The Rooster and the Pearl

1.01. de gallo et margarita Caxton: Of the Cok and of the precious stone / As a Cok ones sought his pasture in the donghylle / he fond a precious stone / to whome the Cok sayd / Ha a fayre stone and precious thow arte here in the fylth And yf he desyreth the had found the / as I haue he should haue take the vp / and sette the ageyne in thy fyrst estate / but in vayne I haue found the / For no thynge I haue to do with the / ne no good I may doo to the / ne thou to me /

And thys fable sayd Esope to them that rede this book / For by the cok is to vnderstond the fool whiche retcheth not of sapyence ne of wysedome / as the Cok retcheth and setteth not by the precious stone / And by the stone is to vnderstond this fayre and playsaunt book [more info]